NORTH PORT – He taught North Port’s Marching Band since the school opened. Then as he stepped down, COVID arrives. Things could have gone much worse, but sometimes the uncertain path isn’t a bad one.
It was during a band banquet before COVID spread nationwide wide that former North Port band director Dr. Bradley – who opened North Port High in 2001 – announced the 2019 marching season they just finished… was his last.
“Tears were shed,” says band captain Joey French.
Dr. Bradley still teaches at North Port, but he told SNN’s Marco La Manno after decades teaching marching band, it was time to step aside.
Now the new face is a familiar face at North Port High. Along with her husband, Mrs. A took over the Marching Bobcat program in 2020. She also worked with Dr. Bradley for years, so it wasn’t totally different for the students.
What was different was the coronavirus outbreak that started just two months after the announcement.
“So all of this was all in a state of transition and the leadership team was chosen to kind of help guide that transition,” says Joey. Band captain Joey French is the head of that leadership team.
Drum major Dave Pitts was also part of the transition.
“I was terrified of my junior year,” Dave says, “because before I was used to going on the field, marching, everyone’s hanging out all the time.”
You could say the path ahead was uncharted. And that story told in a way in this year’s halftime show, Pathways.
“It is a show about kind of the journeys we take through life. And all of the choices and decisions we make along the way,” Joey explains.
Sometimes the path is dark, but a great painting requires dark colors.
It’s a show that’s similar to a drum corps show – rather than play show tunes you’ll recognize, which the band’s performed well in the past, the performance revolves around a story and theme. All the choreography and music is designed to tell that story.
In Dave’s case, Pathways is kind of his story.
“Considering it’s about the different paths you take, I think it’s very inspirational for me, my fellow seniors and everyone else who’s gonna follow along soon,” says Dave.
“Things are looking up for North Port,” Joey says. And things are looking up for Joey French as well: he holds a special distinction in the whole school. He’s one of 29 students in Sarasota County who is a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist.
And of those 29, he’s the sole semi-finalist representing North Port High.
